Wednesday 21 December 2016 is a day that will forever be remembered by everyone involved with SOS.
Michael and Yvette on the back of their meeting with Theresa May, attended No 10 Downing Street to meet with the Deputy Head of Policy where we discussed many aspects surrounding mental health and wellbeing and in particular the need for preventative measures in relation to suicide, alongside the role employers and educational establishments could play to encourage positive mental wellbeing within their respective arenas, and how they may best manage critical situations vulnerable individuals may encounter.
Again, the uniqueness of the SOS model was discussed – the simple, yet highly effective platform we provide nationally for people to unburden themselves and to network with others in the same/similar situation cannot be under-estimated and the DHP agreed with us that face to face communication clearly had benefits. Much of what Michael and I discussed was directly related to what YOU, the supporters of SOS tell us – what you discuss at the meetings, the changes you feel need to happen, the failures and non-delivery of services to those who need them – all this has been discussed, so thank you , every one of you, for your feedback.
Our input yesterday will be used to feed into the Government’s suicide prevention policy and there are more discussions to be had with DHP.
We need to normalise the subject of suicide. Why a prolific killer should be shielded by stigma is beyond comprehension.
#stampoutstigma #timetostopthesilence
We wish you all a peaceful holiday period and for those in crisis during this time, please contact the Samaritans for assistance. Talking always helps.
Looking forward to seeing both old and new faces at our SOS initiatives during 2017.
Our love and thanks to you all
Michael and Yvette
